


SU gang to ferrets AU

by StormyRose97



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Original Character(s), Steven Universe Future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:18:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23740900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormyRose97/pseuds/StormyRose97
Summary: 16 yr/o Steven universe is removed from his home after the government decides the crystal gems are a gang. Now hes stuck in a run down town with some new friends and a lot of crying
Comments: 14
Kudos: 14





	1. New friends

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to my beta reader: Batbaby97

Steven has had many bad days; but this one was by far the worse. It started like any normal day: he got up, made his bed, brushed his teeth, ate breakfast, said good morning to the gems and got dressed for the day. Everything was normal until that afternoon, when he and Pearl decided to start a new puzzle. They had just gotten the corners done when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Steven went to get it like he always does, but as he stood up he saw Garnet freeze and drop the bowl she was holding. The expression on her face put a knot in Steven's stomach. He looked over to the door and saw Pearl and Amethyst looking through the screen. Amethyst turned in horror and ran over to Steven, pulling him into the bathroom and locking the door. He was about to ask what was going on but she put a hand over his mouth and shushed him before he could even open it. 

Outside the door he could hear Pearl yelling at someone to get out and something crashing to the floor. Heavy footsteps stopped in front of the bathroom and he heard a man with a deep voice he didn't recognize ask what's behind the door. "It's just a bathroom! Nothing important!" Pearl replied.

The door swung open and a strange man stood before them. The man was tall and muscular with short red hair and a goatee to match. He was wearing a thick black jacket and black pants with multiple pockets. He had the biggest, heaviest boots Steven had ever seen with a shiny gold badge on his jacket just under a small radio. He introduced himself as Officer Barks.

Officer Barks eyed the siblings before asking

"Which one of you is Steven Universe?"

A pang of anxiety shot through Steven as he realized he may be in trouble. Before he could react, Amethyst stood in front of him and growled "I am Steven Universe. What are you doing in my house?"

Officer barks looked at a paper and back at Amethyst before replying

"You're clearly not Steven Universe. Please move as I have a warrant to be in here to remove Steven Universe from this home."

"WHAT? WHY? WHAT DID HE DO!? YOU CAN'T TAKE MY BABY!" Pearl shouted from the doorway. Officer Barks didn't answer. Instead he pushed Amethyst out of the way, grabbed Steven by his arm, and dragged him out of the house with the gems following close behind, yelling at him to let their son go. Steven tried to pull away but the officers' grip was too tight. He punched the officers hand with all the strength he had but still the man did not let go and soon he had Steven in the back of a cop car with no way out. 

Steven could feel the panic growing, ready to bubble out into a full on attack. He focused on his breathing, trying to calm himself like Garnet had taught him. 

"Where are we going?" He asked; his voice still shaken. The officer ignored him as he continued driving.

They stopped in front of a large, gothic style house. The officer opened the car door and told Steven to follow him. He did as he was told and they went up to the house. Officer Barks gave three swift knocks on the door and a tall thin lady with curly short brown hair and green eyes opened the door, inviting them inside. She guided them into a study that was right next to the front door. The study was large and ornately decorated.

They sat on either side of a large and cluttered desk in silence listening to the sounds of paper moving around and someone yelling down the hall. Finally, the lady broke the silence, "Steven Quartz Universe, correct?" She watched him expectantly as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

"Yes, ma'am." 

"Ok… and you are affiliated with the crystal gems; is that correct?"

"I… guess?" He was confused as to where this was heading. What did the gems have to do with anything?

"You guess?" She asked him as one would a toddler just learning to speak.

"I don't really know what that word means.." Steven lowered his head, embarrassed.

"It's alright. Let's move on. When's the last time you were in school?" She was surprisingly calm. 

"I've never been to school…" Are the walls moving? Why are they getting closer? I can't breathe! Someone get me out of here! I just wanna go home!

"Ok. And it looks like you don't have any documents either… hmm.. well then, Steven, I'll get you set up with a tutor and a place to stay. You will of cour-" she was cut off by Stevens uncontrollable sobbing. He looked up at her with wide eyes and yelled "YOU MEAN I'M STUCK HERE!?!? I DON'T WANNA BE HERE, JUST LET ME GO HOME, PLEASE! I PROMISE TO FOLLOW THE LAW! JUST DON'T MAKE ME STAY HERE, PLEASE!"  
And before the last word even left his mouth, the lady was by his side, rubbing his back and softly telling him everything would be ok. 

……..

Once Steven had calmed down, they explained to him that the reason he's there is because being a part of a gang is actually very dangerous and they're going to help him leave it behind. Needless to say, Steven was very confused. He tried to tell them the gems aren't a gang, whatever a "gang" even is, but they wouldn't listen. 

After what felt like hours of pointless debate and explanations of what gangs are and what big words mean; Steven was finally brought to his new home. An apartment in a building that was clearly about to fall apart. How is this any safer than the van? His apartment was on the top floor (or at least the highest floor that was still stable), at the end of what used to be a hallway. In fact it was only two doors and some stairs that had caved in. It was the same on the floor below this one too. I guess there's only four apartments left. I wonder if they're falling apart too. Two of the apartments had already fallen apart, leaving only a room for it's tenant. However Stevens apartment was quite nice. It was big with an open floor plan and looked freshly renovated. 

They were welcomed in by a young man around the same age as Steven. He introduced himself as "Tucker" and then disappeared into another room. Officer Barks had also taken his leave, so Steven gave himself a tour of his new home. The kitchen was large, however the counters only went halfway around and the table was small, only able to fit 4 people. The rest of the room was taken up by a futon on one wall, next to the fridge, and the front door. Next to the table was a small, cramped bathroom and next to that was the living room. The living room was a decent size, it being big enough for a three person couch and a chair. There was a coffee table in front of the couch with some empty bottles and magazines on it. I guess Tucker doesn't like cleaning… or drinking anything that's not root beer in a glass bottle. Across from the chair was a door to what he assumed was the bedroom. He could hear chirping coming from the room and had to stop himself from running in to see the birds that made the sound. Next to the chair was a sliding glass door that led out to the balcony. He went outside to look at the rest of the rundown town. 

All of the houses were blackened and falling down like they had been in a fire. Next to his building was the lady's house (he never got her name). It was as big and imposing as the first time he'd seen it, except from this angle he could just make out a large metal fence in the backyard. Inside the fence was a large wooden dog house but he didn't see a dog. His other neighbor had a far more inviting home. It was a bright white colonial style home with all the windows opened to let in some fresh air. He went to the edge of the balcony and saw another lady walking around an office. She saw him and waved with a friendly smile. Steven waved back and off she was back to work. He looked down and saw an alleyway between the buildings, clean and holding only a red motorcycle. Odd. 

Across the street was a very nice, normal looking house. It didn't look like anyone lived there, there were no blinds on the windows and it was dark inside. Next to that was one of the burnt homes that seemed to plague the town. He saw two men wandering around the house writing something down and talking about it. Guess they're fixing all these houses. The rest of the houses were the same burnt husks left to rot until further notice. 

Steven went back inside and sat on the couch, hoping his new roommate would come out soon so he wouldn't have to be alone. 

……….

He didn't remember falling asleep but the next morning Steven woke up on the couch with a pillow and blanket he didn't remember having before. On the table was a warm mug of something and a plate of warm cookies. Steven sat up and looked around, trying to figure out who left these things and if they were actually for him; but the apartment was empty and the bedroom door was open so he ate the cookies and drank the mystery drink that turned out to be bitter coffee. 

When he finished eating, someone he didn't recognize walked into the room. A tall girl stood smiling in the doorway. Steven felt his throat tighten as a bottomless pit opened in his stomach. "Did'ya like your breakfast?" She asked, still smiling. Steven smiled back at the girl and answered kindly. 

"It was really good. Did you make it?"

"No, the bureau kids dropped 'em off a little bit ago. Ilda here was worried you wouldn't get any so we brought some up for you." She gestured to a child standing next to her. Ilda looked to be maybe 6 years old. "That was very nice of you. Thank you." He told her gently.

"Who are the bureau kids?"

"You know that lady you met when you came here?"

"Yeah."

"That was Lady Bureau. Her kids are bakers."

"Oh. Cool."

"Alright, let's get you to class. I'm Shauna by the way." She said, already turning to leave. Steven followed her down stairs to the apartment below his. The set up was the same but they had a tv. They walked into a very chaotic mess. Two teenage boys were standing in the dining room with each other in a headlock. Steven recognized one of them as Tucker and assumed the other was his enemy. He could feel the tears prickling in his eyes, his gem started to glow, and he gripped his shirt; not ready for another fight. 

Ilda ran into the living room while Shauna explained that when the teacher's on break there's basically no rules and no these boys are not enemies and no you do not have to fight them. Steven was relieved but still very confused. He didn't know people just fought for fun outside of a wrestling ring. 

The boy Steven didn't know the name of pushed Tucker away and ran up to Shauna. He was short with messy blonde hair and seemed to only wear clothes that are three sizes too big. Shauna introduced him as "Nathan".

Nathan started bouncing excitedly. "what gang were you in? What's your body count? Did'ja sell drugs? How many times did you go to jail?" He was getting more and more excited with every word while Steven started to tear up. 

"Uuuhhhh… c-crystal gems? I don't…" Steven fell to the floor, sobbing heavily. Everyone crowded around him, trying to calm him down. They finally got him calm enough to say, "I.. immmmm… not in a… gang! Th… they're my family!" He started crying harder shocked 

"Oh shit, you were born into a gang?" Tucker asked, sounding shocked which only made Steven fall face first into the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, and start to glow pink. Shauna slapped Tucker and hissed "Shush! Maybe he doesn't know it's a gang!"  
………..

Steven sat at the kitchen table, drinking hot cocoa and listening intently to their teacher's lecture on math. Next to him, Nathan was furiously scribbling notes but when Steven looked at his paper, none of it was legible. To his other side Tucker was leaning back so his chair was on two legs. Steven couldn't tell if he was paying attention or not. He lost interest fairly quickly and started doodling cookie cats in his notebook instead. 

It was incredibly boring.


	2. Steven is a normal kid for once

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven, Nathan, and Tucker become best friends and memes. Steven gets to be a normal child for longer than a day.

After class the boys went back to Tucker and Steven's apartment to play with Tucker's birds. He had two gray cockatiels in a large green cage with a jungle gym on top. He took them out and let Steven and Nathan hold them. The birds had their wings clipped but still tried to fly anyways. They floated through the room, running around on the hardwood floors determined not to be caught. They held them close to their chests so the birds could climb up their shirts and sit on their shoulders. They liked nesting in Steven's hair the most so he put some seed up there for them to eat while they hung out atop his curls. Steven sent hundreds of photos to Connie, Greg, and the gems so they knew he was okay. 

\------  
Nathan paced around the room, wringing his hands, with a wild look on his face. "I don't know how you do it man. I'm about to lose my mind. This Katy Perry business needs to stop now."

Steven watched the younger boy, worried, and carefully replied; "are you okay?"

Nathan stopped and looked him dead in the eyes, "no I'm gonna kill him if Charlie doesn't get to it first."

"Who's Charlie?"

"Don't worry about it. Point is Tucker must be stopped. He's had swish swish on loop for a month in a half! I can't take it! how do you live like this?"

"Oh. I didn't realize it's been playing for so long… I just use my headphones."

"Yeah, whatever, will you help me stage an intervention or not?"

"Yeah okay." 

That night when Tucker got home the boys were already sitting at the kitchen table waiting for him. 

"What up, dudes." Tucker greeted. The boys gestured to the seat between them without a word. Tucker hesitantly walked over and sat down, eyeing his friends suspiciously. Nathan clasped his hands on the table, looked at the older boy, and sighed. 

"I didn't wanna have to do this, bro." He began. "you know we Gucci fam. You're one of my best friends, so I'm saying this for your own good. This Katy Perry business needs to stop now."

Tucker sighed and ran a hand over his face. For a moment they were silent, waiting for his reply. When none came, Steven took over. 

"You're a really good roommate, Tucker, so I've been trying to be nice about this but… it really is annoying. Couldn't you just shuffle through some songs? Like maybe a hundred songs instead of listening to the same one all the time?" He fidgeted nervously in the silence that followed, hoping he didn't just offend his roommate. 

Tucker looked up and finally replied, "You guys just don't get it. Katy Perry is actually super deep and this is the most deep song she has."

Nathan looked him dead in the eye and said, "Prove it."

"Can't. You wouldn't get it even if I did."

"Steven hold me back I'm gonna wipe that smile off his face!" Nathan lunged forward but Steven managed to grab his shoulders and pull him back before a fight could break out. Tucker laughed and his amusement only infuriated the young boy even more. 

"Hey guys, why don't we just find other music that's super deep? We could make a playlist!" Steven said, ever the optimist. The other two looked at each other and agreed to end things peacefully. That night they all sat around compiling a list of all their favorite "deep" songs and laughing. In the end they had a fun mix of every genre ever created and even some songs added in as a joke like 'mash potatoes' by Graham coxon. The playlist is a messy guessing game of dinosaur jr, Katy Perry, the guess who, type O negative, the violent femmes, and many many more.

Tucker still listens to Katy Perry often but it's not as often anymore. It's an arrangement they're all happy with. 

\--------  
Steven left the building for the first time since he arrived. He stepped outside and was immediately greeted by someone in a Minecraft creeper hoodie. They had the hood zipped so it covered their face and stood staring at him just a foot away. "uh hi?" He said. They raised their hand in a sort of half wave then turned around and walked away. Steven decided being out in this spooky place just wasn't worth it and went back inside to cry. 

Tucker walked into the living room and saw Steven crying on the couch. He sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "you alright, bro?" He asked, worried. Steven looked back at him, tears still streaming down his face, and replied "I saw a creeper."

"Aw man." Tucker said without hesitation. Steven laughed and lightly pushed Tucker away. "I'm being serious dude. I saw a Minecraft creeper outside. It was like Slenderman but Minecraft."

"Bro that's lame. No one even remembers Slenderman anymore."

"Says the one quoting a Minecraft parody."

"Minecraft parodies are back and I'm too cool to not listen to them."

"Sure let's go with that." Steven was smiling now.   
\-------

Steven sat on the sofa listening to a podcast in his earbuds. Tucker walks in with a short, brunette girl. She waves to Steven as they pass by and they step out onto the patio. 20 minutes pass and they come back in; this time they stop in front of Steven. He takes his earbuds out and eyes them suspiciously. 

"Steven, meet Ashlee." Tucker says, gesturing from the boy on the couch to the girl standing next to him. "Ashlee, Steven." He does the same gesture but in reverse. 

Ashlee smiles, "It's very nice to meet you. I like your jacket." 

Steven smiles back, "Thanks. It's nice to meet you too."

Tucker smiles, satisfied, and goes back out to the balcony. Steven puts one earbud in before Ashlee asks, "What are you listening to?" 

"A podcast. It's about mythology. In this episode they're talking about dragons. Or at least they're supposed to be talking about dragons; they kind of got distracted by a goat and now they're talking about goat cheese I think? I don't know I lost focus somewhere around cheese."

"That sounds amazing." She laughs. 

"It is. You should check it out, it's called 'Magical Professor Mythopalees'"

"I will. Thank you." And with one final giggle, she disappeared on to the balcony with Tucker while Steven went back to his podcast. 

Later that night, after Ashlee went home, Tucker went to Steven who was brushing his teeth. 

"What did you think?" Tucker asked like he's a dad that just started dating again. 

Steven looked at him for a few seconds before responding: "About what?"

"Ashlee."

"She's nice. I like her. Why?"

"Well… I figure since we live together it's probably….. important? That you know and like- or at least tolerate… my girlfriend."

"Oh, ok. Well she's cool, so that's good. Maybe someday you'll get to meet my girlfriend too. You'd probably like her, she knows everything."

"Does she know what Pokemon #357 is?"

"I… I don't know? Maybe. I'll have to ask."

Tucker laughed. "Lee can name all the Pokemon in order without missing one. It's crazy."

"That's a lot of Pokemon to remember. How does she do it? Is she magic?"

"No. She's got that photo brain thing."

"Oh photographic memory! That's so cool!"

"I know right!"

"Connie doesn't have photographic memory but she's the best sword fighter in the world!"

"A sword fighter! Really? I didn't even know those still exist."

"Yeah and she's really good at it! She's even better than Pearl!"

"Pearl her teacher?"

"Yep!"

"Wicked. Lee can't use a sword but I'm pretty sure she might be a mermaid?"

"A mermaid? Why's that?"

"Cuz like. She just." He stopped and looked around the small bathroom before continuing. "She knows a lot about, like, water and the ocean and what not and, like if there's water anywhere near her, she's in it. It's so weird, like, like some kind of impulsive need to be in water. That's mermaid activity, bro."

"Dang. It's real mermaid hours in here, isn't it?"

"Alleged mermaid hours, yes." They sat in silence for a few minutes. 

"Mermaid tails are kinda like fusing. In the movies they always kind of appear like their legs merged which isn't actually possible unless mermaids have bodies of hard light like gems.. are mermaids just gems?"

"I don't know what that means but probably not. They're like activated by water towels. The legs are the towel when it's just a little square and the tail is when the towel is open and is twice the size of before."

"So they're towels?"

"I guess?"

They ended the night more confused than ever and contemplated what exactly a mermaid is just hard enough to have weird mermaid dreams. 

\-----  
"This soda is so spicy." Nathan deadpanned, settling down his can. Tucker looked at him like he was crazy, while Steven considered why soda would be spicy.

"It's probably the carbonation." Steven said, consideringly.

"Actually, I put chili powder in it." 

"Why?" Tucker asked exasperatedly.

"Sounded good."

"I prefer baby bottle pop powder and Sprite." Tucker went to one of the cabinets and pulled out a baby bottle pop. He then proceeded to pour the entire bottle into his can. Steven looked at him for a minute before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pack of fun dip. "Fun dip and Sprite is better." he said. 

"Sour. Nice." Tucker gave him a fist bump. 

Ashlee watched them from the couch, horrified.  
\-------  
Steven sat on the couch, staring longingly out the patio door, and sighed. Nathan sat next to him and put a hand on his back. "Hey dude, you good?" He asked, a concerned tone lacing his voice. Steven didn't look back but told him that he just wanted to do a puzzle. Nathan held back a chuckle as he replied, "What kind of puzzle? I can find you one." 

Steven looked back at him and smiled. "Really? Can you really get me any one?"

"Sure. Which one ya want?"

"I was doing one with Pearl before I left and it had little kittens on it! Can I get one like that?" 

"Yeah, man. I got you." Nathan started to stand up but Steven hugged his waist and accidently knocked him back down. Nathan laughed and looked down at his strange new friend. Steven was crying, again, only this time they were happy tears. He thanked Nathan multiple times and hugged him so tight; the young boy nearly ran out of breath. 

Nathan put a hand on Stevens' head and exclaimed, "Woah, your hair is soft! What's your secret?" Steven laughed and let go, reaching up to feel his hair. 

"I don't think it's any softer than anyone else's. I just use soap like everyone else." When Nathan didn't respond, Steven looked over at the blonde boy and saw him staring at him, stunned. "Uh.. are you oka-"

"YOU USE SOAP IN YOUR HAIR!?!?" 

"Yes? What am I supposed to use?"

"SHAMPOO! THERE'S NO WAY YOUR HAIR IS SO SOFT IF YOU'RE USING SOAP!" 

"Why not? It cleans right?"

"NOT HAIR YOU LUNATIC! IT WOULD MAKE YOUR HAIR ALL STICKY OR SOMETHING!"

"Not if you use liquid soap?" 

Nathan dropped his voice to barely a whisper. "What kind of soap are you using?"

Steven dropped his voice to match. "The blue one for dishes. They use it on baby ducks so it has to work on hair too right?" Now Nathan was crying and Steven didn't know how to help him. "Omg, I'm sorry, is it really that weird?"

"Yes. I'm gonna go get that puzzle before I lose my last brain cell." And with that Nathan was gone. Steven spent a good while researching if dish soap is good for hair and found that he is not the only one using it that way.

\----------  
Later that night, Steven had his puzzle and somehow roped Tucker and Nathan into putting it together with him. rocking out to the dead Kennedys and Yuki kajiura, they put the puzzle together slowly, stopping only to play air instruments and get snacks. By the end of the night they had goofed off so much that they actually only got one corner done in a 200 piece puzzle. It didn't bother any of them though. They had a fun night and went to bed with smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Batbaby97 wanted me to leave a note from him but didn't say what he wants it to say so here's his comments on the chapter:  
"That was cute!"   
\---  
Seriously tho we both wanna say thank you guys so much for reading the fic! This is my first time writing something semi serious and I'm really bad at it so it means a lot that you guys are enjoying it! I hope you all have a wonderful day! I love you guys!


	3. Steven finally leaves the house

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg and Connie come to visit and Steven gets a history lesson

Steven and Tucker we're playing Trouble one lazy Sunday afternoon when they heard a knock at the door. Tucker went and answered it, thinking it would be Mr. Brown or some other guest. It wasn't. Instead, standing before him was a middle aged man with balding hair, and a teenage girl with short curly hair. 

"Hi. Can I help you?" He greeted them politely. 

"Yeah, we're here to see Steven. Is this the right room?" Greg answered. Before Tucker could answer, Steven was already at the door, jumping into his father's outstretched arms. "Hey schtu- ball, how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine! We're playing trouble!" He gave Connie a kiss on the cheek and then turned to tucker. "Oh yeah, you guys haven't met yet! Dad, Connie this is Tucker! Tucker, this my dad and my Connie!

Tucker smiled and shook Greg's hand, giving a small wave to Connie.

"I can show you guys around town if you want." Tucker offered. "Steven hasn't really left since the cryptid incident but I know this place like the back of my hand." 

Steven looked at him, anxious, "Are you sure, Tuck? They didn't see any cryptid out there, right guys?" 

"I don't know what a cryptid looks like but I'm pretty sure we didn't see any." Greg answered while Connie nodded. 

"See they're probably gone. We'll be fine." 

Tucker shrugged and deadpanned "Suit yourself. It's not like cryptids have a mind of their own anyways. They definitely don't live near here and won't be outside at, say, 2:30 to bring water to Mr. Oliver and Mr. Fin. They definitely don't do that every day. No sir, just normal people out there. I've probably definitely never ever seen this cryptid a day in my life. Nope. Only been here, what? 3 years now. That's nothing. Jus-"

"Ok. I get it. You can show us around." Steven interrupted. 

Tucker was very excited. "Don't even worry about that cryptid, you guys. I've dealt with them so many times I've learned their language!"

"ThEy SpEaK?"

"Yeah. You'll see. They're always sticking their nose where it doesn't belong so you'll definitely hear them talk today." 

That did not calm Steven at all. He wanted to cancel the whole trip and just finish their game or start a new one or anything but leaving this building. But they went out anyway, Tucker pointing out all four apartments and the office next to the front door before heading out. 

"Apartment. Apartment. Apartment. Apartment. Office. Alright so that was our building. Now over here to your.. that side." He pointed to the gothic house next door. "That's the bureau house. Lady bureau runs the program we're in, that I forgot the name of, and she lives there with her three kids. One of them is my girlfriend, Ashlee. She's cool. Also they have an evil dog in the backyard that I don't know the name of and Bryan has a duck named Magnesium and he's the greatest thing to ever exist, ever. I'll see if you guys can meet him later. The duck I mean."

"That was a lot of information but I want to meet that duck." Steven and Connie said in unison, stars forming in their eyes. 

Tucker laughed and continued the tour. He walked in the other direction and pointed out the alley next to their building. "This is the alley. It has a motorcycle in it, and that's it. Fun fact: this used to be a path to the town behind here, but it cut through someone's yard so they put up that wall."

"Oh, that is a fun fact." Connie said in a Pearl impersonation only Steven caught. "But why did they build it through someone's yard in the first place?"

"The house wasn't built until after this place burnt down so when Miss Shelbia bought the neighborhood, she had to close off the path." Tucker pointed to the white house next to the alley. "Now, over here is Miss Shelbia's house. It's very nice. Mr. Oliver is her husband and he builds all the houses himself. They also have a daughter named Matilde but everyone calls her Ilda."

"Oh, I remember her! She brought me cookies!" Steven remembered fondly. "She's so nice."

"Yeah, she's the best. Anyways, the rest of the houses aren't done yet so they're just there; but this is a wall."

"Ok?"

"It's magic."

"Omg really how does it transform into something cool is it like a magical gate does it have some sort of security system built into it? How does it work tell meeeeee!" Connie asked a million questions at once unable to contain her excitement. 

"The uh… the magical gate one. I don't know how it works though. I usually see people just walk into it and disappear but I haven't been able to get it to work."

"Well obviously." A snarky voice came up suddenly behind them. "it only reacts to verified users. You guys are not verified users."

They turned to the voice and saw a girl in a Minecraft creeper hoodie. "OH MY STARS IT'S YOU! THE CREEPER FROM BEFORE!" Steven yelled, pointing at the girl. "I KNEW I WASN'T CRAZY!"

The girl laughed so hard she almost fell over and had to take a few steps back to steady herself. "I knew you looked familiar! Your reaction was so perfect I thought you were gonna piss yourself! Hahaha!"

Connie glared at her and balled her fists, furious that someone would be so rude to Steven. But before she could react, Tucker stepped in front of them. "You forget yourself, Tilly. Have you no respect for our guests?" 

"Of course I have! My apologies, I didn't mean to appear cold hearted."

"Then I trust you'll behave yourself from here on out?"

"Of course, Tabitha. I would never dream to make someone uncomfortable."

"Lies, but go off I guess. Greg, Connie, Meet our local cryptid, Hillary."

Connie rolled her eyes. "Ok, but how does the magic gate work? Is it like a program or something? Is it, like, mechanical?" She took out a notebook to write down the answer. 

Hillary's eyes flicked from the notebook in Connie's hands to the girl's face. "These are trade secrets, my dear. I can't tell you if you're just going to spread it around town." She flashed a patronizing smile and walked away. 

Connie stood in silence for a moment, watching the other girl talk to Oliver; too far away for her to hear the conversation in the still air. Around her, Steven's cheeks started to go pink with confusion and panic, Greg looked around, unsure of what just happened, but Tucker started to chuckle. He carefully put a hand on Connie's shoulder, just gentle enough to not warrant a reaction, but firm enough to gain her attention. She looked at his smiling face, frustration growing, she looked in his eyes and saw pity which only made her blood run hotter. She was ready to snap. 

"Better luck next time, Con-man." He said with nothing but humor in his voice and she was immediately calm again.

"Con-man? That's the most ridiculous nickname I've ever heard! I've never conned anyone." She retorted. 

"Sure ya have it's right in your name! Con-knee. You conned your knee into working with your leg!" The whole group laughed at the not really funny joke and were instantly in a much better mood.   
\--------

Steven sat on the balcony reading a book about cheese. Next to him, the neighbor had their window open again and he could see her working at a desk while Matilde played on the floor. His neighbor looked like a kind middle aged lady with long brown hair. Steven pondered what it would be like to have hair that long, it was even longer than his dads [before it was cut]. He got so lost in thought that he didn't even realize he was staring until she looked over at him. He panicked and apologized with a little wave. She waved back and went over to the window. 

"Hello. You're Steven, right?" She asked. Steven just nodded. "Have you seen the town yet?"

"Yeah. Tucker gave me a tour. It's nice but I'm still a little afraid of the cryptid." 

"The cryptid?"

"I can't remember her name but she's kinda mean. She scared me when I first got here."

"That's probably Hlllary. She can be intense but she's more bark than Bite."

"Yeah. That sounds right. Oh, do you know how that magic wall works? Hillary said something about verified users but wouldn't tell us what that means? Connie has been really upset about it."

"Magic wall? It's got a door on it." She laughed. 

"I knew she was lying! But there's no door knob so I wasn't sure.."

"It only opens one way. Kinda inconvenient if you ask me but Ro says it keeps vagrants out."

"Who's Ro and what's a vagrant?"

"Short for Bureau, you met her and a vagrant is a beggar."

Matilde started calling for her mom so they ended their conversation there. Shelbia went to check on her daughter while Steven went back to his book.  
_______

They went outside for class today. Mr. Oliver wasn't working on the houses today so they were able to explore the rest of the neighborhood. They went down the street across from the "magic" wall. It was full of houses they couldn't see from their building. Every house was burned and missing pieces; some were entirely collapsed. 

"The great fire of 18xx. This town was built at the bottom of a tall hill, under the Wyvern estate. The Wyvern family owned all the land on and around the hill from 1764 to 2006. That's 242 years that they lived here. In 18xx this neighborhood was built. The people that lived here were seeking the Wyverns help. You see, Jessica Wyvern was said to be the greatest huntress of all time. These people believed they were being hunted by a great beast but could never find it, so they tried to enlist help from Mrs. Wyvern. However, the family is infamously selfish and she refused to help. The people built this town hoping that just being close to the estate would scare the beast off. But Excavior Wyvern did not like this. He claimed they were putting his daughters in danger, so he burned it to the ground. No one lived here again until 2012, when Shelbia bought this neighborhood and the one next to it." Mr Brown explained. 

"There's another one?" Tucker asked. 

"Yeah, it's super haunted though so no one goes there."

While they continued their history lesson, Shelbia and Matilde appeared. They were out on a walk, headed right towards the boys. 

"What goes on, my guys." Shelbia greeted, Matilde giggled. 

"History class, Shelbs! We're talking about the history of this town and the Wyverns! Got any insight for us?" Mr Brown replied. 

"Of course, this is my specialty. How about my favorite fact: the spot where the Wyvern's home stood is still there, but it's now a meadow with only a statue honoring Wynona Wyvern who died in the house in 2001." 

Her hair and eyes changed right in front of their eyes. Her hair went from a long brown ponytail to medium length black hair going straight down in waves. Her blue eyes turned green, but no one acknowledged it. Steven stared in awe as she continued her lesson. He got so lost in thought that he completely missed everything they were saying. It wasn't until someone put a hand on his shoulder that he snapped out of his confused trance. They went back to the apartments while Shelbia and Mr. Brown discussed a field trip to the meadow. Her hair was brown and in a ponytail again. Steven wondered if he'd just imagined it. It probably never changed at all.   
______  
"Wish that were me." Nathan said dreamily. 

"What?" Steven questioned. 

"These mukbangers. I wanna be one." 

"Do not."

"It's too late for me Steven, I've already bought 80$ worth of McDonalds."

"Why would you do that. You're gonna die."

"You can have some of the fries if you want."

"I'll let it slide this time but you're on thin ice."

They spent the rest of the night eating $80 worth of McDonald's except Nathan doesn't have a YouTube account or camera and Steven refused to let him use his phone so they didn't even record it. Tucker got home around 8 and they were still eating. 

"How in the world did you get so much food and why?" He exclaimed when he saw the mess. 

"It's all from the dollar menu. We're mukbangers now." Nathan explained. 

"We're not. There's not even a camera, we're just eating $80 of junk food that's gonna kill us." Steven deadpanned. 

"Worth it."

"It's not."

"Steven, if you don't wanna eat it then why are you eating it?" Tucker asked. 

Steven looked at him for a moment and blinked. The thought had never even crossed his mind. Tucker laughed and decided he should join them if they were gonna eat it all tonight. That night they were seagulls, knowing nothing but hubris. A hubris that would come back to haunt them through the pain of overeating and a very sleepless night. Class was cancelled the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's kinda all over the place I have a lot of ideas and am very bad at p organizing lol. Either way I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter :)
> 
> Editors note: thanks for reading and be sure to let me know if I missed anything! ^_^


	4. Lion Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lion accidently kidnaps some kids

"Hey, I gotta go do some stuff but Lee's supposed to be coming over. Would you mind hanging out with her until I get back?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, no problem." Steven replied without looking up from his phone. 

"Thanks, bro." And off he went. 

A little bit later, Ashlee showed up and Tucker still wasn't back. 

"What's up dude." She greeted Steven with a peace sign. 

"Sup. Do you like tiktok?" He asked, putting his phone down to look at her. 

"yeah. Why? Do you have an account?"

"Yep. I'm a tiktok star."

"You are not."

"Yeah, I am. Look." He held up his phone to her so she could look at his profile. It was a display of bright, unnaturally colored people. His profile pic is a girl with big poofy hair. She stared for a few minutes before shouting, 

"2 million?! How?! I don't even have a thousand and I have a pet duck!"

"Oh, dude, I love ducks, what's your username? I wanna see the duck."

"Uh… Ashleevesfallin. But seriously, what's your secret? How'd you get so many followers?"

"Awww, this duck is so cute! I Love him already." Stars formed in his eyes while Lee sat on the couch next to him. She watched him scroll through her tiktok, liking all of them. When he got to the end, he switched back to his own account. 

"So, the duck is cute but the videos that he's not in are boring. No offense. But the reason people like mine is because they're interesting. I make videos with gems and my pet lion and sometimes Stevonnie. It's stuff people don't see alot outside of Beach City so they go crazy for it. But you have all that. You just have to make stuff people are interested in. Like pets, I got most of my followers after making this one with lion."

He taps on a video of a bright pink lion. It was laying on top of a hill, a beautiful orange and pink sky glowing behind it. The background music was a calm ukulele and a familiar voice singing softly. It looked so peaceful, Ashlee felt like she could just reach out and fall into that moment. He closed out of the video causing her to snap out of her trance. 

"Are you sure people liked that for the lion? It was so peaceful and entrancing. I'd think people would've liked the feel of it rather than the lion himself."

"Yeah, the atmosphere is part of it, but not all of my TikToks are like that; So people go to my profile for the atmosphere but follow for my lion." He tapped on another video of Lion. This time he was in front of a corn field, laying on his side. Someone tossed a lion shaped popsicle still wrapped in plastic to him. It landed on the ground above his head, He looked at it without sitting up and tried to grab it in his mouth. When that didn’t work he reached a giant paw toward it but it was just out of reach, he continued to stretch and bite while the people behind the camera laughed. The end of the video was a photo of Lion holding the unwrapped popsicle in his mouth.

“You give your lion ice cream? Is that even healthy?”

“i think it’s only healthy for him. He’s magic.”

“Oh, of course he is. Magnesium is probably magic too, maybe i’ll feed him some ice cream and see wh-”

Before Lee could finish her sentence, Lion jumped out of a portal and landed directly on the coffee table, breaking it in half. Lee stared in disbelief while Steven got up and shoved the big cat off the table.

‘Lion, you have to be more careful. Tucker will be sad you broke his table.” Lion groaned and put his head against Steven’s hand, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. “Aw, you know i can’t stay mad at you. It’s good to see you, buddy.” He scratched his head a little and then turned to Ashlee.

“You were saying?” He smirked.

She scoffed at him but before she could respond, the door opened. They turned and saw Tucker walk in, freezing before the big cat in his living room.

“What the hell did I miss?” He asked, blinking slowly at Lion, Lion blinked slowly back.

“This is Lion. He’s my magic best friend visiting from Beach City.” Steven answered with a little giggle.

“Oh, of course. Pink is a very magic color…” His voice trailed off and left them in heavy silence.  
\-----  
They put Lion on the balcony while they cleaned up his mess. Steven carried the broken table outside and set it in the alley with a note that read; “Please take with garbage. -2C”. Ashlee got distracted from picking up the stuff that fell off the table, and ended up making some popcorn for their new wild friend. Tucker swept the floor, occasionally glancing at Lion. When Steven came back he noticed Tucker seemed nervous.

“Hey, dude, are you okay?” Steven asked, putting his hand on the younger boy’s shoulder.

“I don’t think they’ll like him being here. It’s Inspection Day, you know.”

“Inspection?”

“They go through the apartments to make sure we don’t have anything illegal hidden somewhere. It’s part of keeping us out of gangs.”

“Oh. Well I could take Lion somewhere but he usually just does whatever he wants.”

“Well, no duh. He’s a wild animal.”

"Guys, they've probably already seen him. He's not exactly hidden." Ashlee chimed in, pointing to the cat throwing popcorn off the balcony. "we probably should've put him in a room."

"But he can teleport?" Steven reminded her. "Besides, he's harmless and not in a gang. I'm sure they'll love him."

Tucker and Ashlee shared a knowing look before agreeing to let Lion stay on the balcony. 

"If he breaks anything else though, I'm charging a thousand dollar 'bad roommate' fee." Tucker said seriously. 

"That's fair except I don't have a thousand dollars." Steven replied just as serious. "How about some Starbursts and maybe a soda? I've got some puzzles too."

"You have to have something more valuable than that."

"Not currently unless you want Connie or my dad to bring something."

"I mean… I'm not against the idea?"

Before Steven had a chance to respond, there was a knock at the door. 

"Oh no! It's them! Hide the lion!" Tucker whispered, clutching his bald head. 

"Why are you panicking? I thought we were gonna let him stay out and see what happens?" Steven whispered back. 

"I changed my mind! Put him in the bathroom!"

"Tuck, calm down. They're gonna find him no matter where we put him; so unless he decides to leave we don't really have a choice." Ashlee said calmly, trying to soothe her panicked beau.

"You're right, you're right. Of course you're right. Steven, answer the door."

No questions asked, Steven opened the door and found an angry lady with short blonde hair and indigo eyes. She didn't say a word, she just came in and started opening cabinets. Steven slowly closed the door and looked at his friends; who were nervously watching the strange lady and backing up towards Lion as subtle and careful as possible. Before the door fully shut, they heard yelling from the apartment next door. 

"THAT ISN'T HOW MOUSE TRAPS WORK!" the voice was deep but not angry, they sounded more confused than anything. 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'THAT ISN'T HOW MOUSE TRAPS WORK'? TRAP IS LITERALLY IN THE NAME!" another masculine voice but this one was a bit higher.

“THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU BOOBY TRAP THE WHOLE APARTMENT WITH THEM! YOU CAN’T STOP AN INTRUDER WITH JUST MOUSE TRAPS! IF ANYTHING YOU’D JUST LOSE A FINGER!”

“Bold of you to assume i haven't already.” 

There was a fake gasp and then a very very loud ‘WAP’. everyone stood still and silent, including the angry lady. A door closed and the air went still. they stayed like statues for what felt like an eternity. Steven clutched his shirt, hoping that something fell but preparing himself for a fight; but nothing happened. Eventually they decided they'd waited long enough and went back to what they were doing. Steven looked back over at the lady and saw Ms. Shelbia standing there instead. Except now, her hair was black and wavy again while her eyes stayed the same indigo as before. Steven was so shocked that he had completely forgotten all about Lion until a very loud roar rang through the air. Steven and Shelbia turned at the same time to see Lion jump into a portal with Ashlee and Tucker hanging off his neck. The last thing they heard was the couple call for help and it hung heavy in the air. 

Seconds later, five people came crashing into the apartment. Steven recognized Mr. Brown, Nathan, Lady Bureau, and Mr. Oliver. But the other one, a boy shorter than Steven with messed dirty blonde hair and thick glasses, was a total mystery. 

"WHAT HAPPENED? IS THERE A WILD BEAR IN HERE OR SOMETHING?" the boy with glasses panicked. 

"I HEARD TUCKER AND ASHLEE! ARE THEY OKAY?" Nathan yelled, running past Steven into the living room, searching for his friends and their attacker. 

Shelbia stood quietly in the kitchen, staring at the spot the portal had been in. Steven tried to calm everyone down, but only ended up with a small group of slightly nervous adults sitting on the floor in front of him like a preschool class waiting for story time, and a sobbing teenager laying on Steven's lap. 

"Okay, so, I have a pet lion- but don't worry! He's very nice! He wouldn't hurt a fly, I swear!" Steven's face started to turn pink. "Um… anyway… he was here, I don't know why, he just does whatever. But um… he was fine, just laying on the balcony and eating snacks. But um…I guess he got bored so he left but for some reason Tucker and Ashlee were hanging on to him so they were all teleported somewhere and I don't know where!" Steven was fully pink now. 

Nathan moved back to sit with the others. They watched him, hoping he'd just explain or at least give them some semblance of an idea to get the teens back. Steven took some deep breaths and meditated for a few minutes. The group waited patiently. Finally he spoke again:

"I know how we can find them."  
_____

"Hey, Lars!" Steven greeted his friend over FaceTime. "Can you do me a quick favor?"

"Gee, it's good to see you to, stupid." Lars said jokingly, putting his hand on his chest like an overdramatic mother. Steven scoffed but didn't respond, he had more important things to worry about right now. "What's the favor?"

"I need to find Lion ASAP! He kind of kidnapped some people." 

"Geez, Steven can you go one day without something freaky happening?"

"LARS! THIS IS SERIOUS!"

"Yeah, yeah, calm down." He looked over at something off camera. "Hey, Ruby! Come here for a sec."  
\-------  
They sat, patiently watching the phone. On screen, Lars bossed around his crew. They were bringing Ruby to Zirgaloct Sector 2D before Steven called. Now, Ruby was somewhere in Lars's hair and she had been gone a long time. 

"If Ruby doesn't come back, you guys owe me." Lars claimed when he was finally done with his job. 

"What? And why? We didn't tell you to shove them in your hair." Mr Oliver queried.

"I don't know yet, but we can't exactly deliver someone that isn't here."

"You can't deliver someone either way; they're not a package." Lady Bureau chimed in. 

"Okay, sorry. We can't transport someone that isn't here. Steven, who even are these people?"

"I told you, they're the people trying to keep me out of gangs." Steven sighed and Lars facepalmed before being interrupted by the Rutile twins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I tried to make an actual plot this time so I hope you guys enjoy!


	5. Lion Vacation 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashlee and Tucker go on an adventure.

6 hours went by with no sign of Ruby, Lion, or their friends. The Off-Colors waited nervously in their ship on the strange planet while Steven's group aggressively ate soup that Ashlee's brother brought them. Everyone was tired and anxious to go home. Then a miracle happened, a portal opened and Ruby fell out. The only problem is that she was returned to the wrong planet. 

"RUBY?! WHAT HAPPENED? WHY ARE YOU HERE? LARS IS WAITING FOR YOU ON CIRCUS TENT 7!" Steven panicked. 

"Zirgaloct Sector 2D." Ruby replied, completely ignoring the other comments.

"Did you find them?" Nathan sobbed, grabbing Ruby's arm while still sitting in his knees. 

"There were no humans but the beast threw me off it and ran away. I've been chasing it all day and never even once saw or heard a human." Ruby explained sadly. "how will I get home now without the monster or a ship?"

"I guess we'll just have to come get you." Lars said from the phone, Then he let out an audible sigh and added: "again."  
\-------  
The world stood still as the strange argument filled the building. Ashlee eyed the angry lady, who she recognized as her aunt Shelbia. She didn’t know why her aunt was so angry, but she definitely wouldn’t like Lion; So Ashlee and Tucker took this opportunity to hide him. They continued to carefully walk backwards to Lion, keeping an eye on Shelbia as her short blonde hair turned black and grew 3 inches.

Tucker never understood how her hair changes like that but he knew that it was perfectly indicative of her emotions; so he knew this meant that she’s gone from angry to annoyed, which was good in a way. However, when they reached Lion, Shelbia had gone back to work and they were able to see her indigo eyes; the color of rage. They started panicking again and turned their attention to Lion.

"Here Lion! I've got a cool new outfit for you." Ashlee said, placing a large sun hat on the cats head. Tucker came out of nowhere with a blanket and covered Lion with it while Lee put too small glasses on his big animal face. 

Lion groaned and rolled over, knocking the 'outfit' off. He stayed on his side and closed his eyes. Tucker tried to wrestle the blanket out from under the big cat, but Lee was focused on the people in the kitchen. Shelbia was studying a can and Steven was just watching her. Lee turned to her boyfriend, who had somehow wrapped Lion in a blanket burrito, and tapped his shoulder. 

He looked at her triumphantly and whispered, "Do you see? I got him in the blanket!"

"Ok, great job. But do you see that?" She pointed over at the kitchen. He looked over and opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Lion running right through him and Ashlee. In a panic they grabbed his mane and were dragged off through a portal. 

Everything was pink for a second and then they found themselves on a beach. It was empty with a strange hand shaped rock in the middle. Off to the side was a house built into a cliff with a lot of stairs and a large statue behind it. 

Lion ran off into the ocean and disappeared through another portal, leaving them stranded in an unfamiliar place. Ashlee reached into her pocket for her phone, but it wasn't there. 

"Oh no! I lost my phone!" Ashlee cried. "please tell me you have yours! Please tell me we're not stranded here!"

"I don't but calm down. There's a house over there and they probably have a phone. We're not stranded." Tucker explained, calmly putting an arm around Lee's shoulder and leading her to the stairs. 

As they climbed the stairs a tall lady with an afro and half star shaped glasses walked out. She stopped at the railing and looked down at them. 

"Are you two okay?" She asked. 

"We're lost. Do you have a phone we can use?" Tucker replied.

"Yes. Come in.”

And with that she was gone.

They made it onto the porch and looked through the screen door. The house seemed pretty normal save for the lack of an actual front door and the strange platform in the back. 

"Should we actually go in? We don't even know them." Lee worried. 

"Definitely not. Let's just wait out here." Tucker confirmed. 

"Ok."

The door all the way in the back split in a pattern and opened. 

"I want that door." Tucker absentmindedly claimed. Ashlee's mouth fell open. 

The tall lady from before stepped out with another tall lady. This one had pale pink hair and a large spot on their forehead. They came over to the door, phone in the pink haired lady's hand. The teens backed up and the ladies stepped out. 

"Hello~ children. Here's the phone~. The pink haired lady sang, holding out the phone to them. "I'm pearl, by the way. It's so nice to meet you. Toilet paper?" She held out a roll of TP in her other hand, still smiling brightly. 

Ashlee hesitantly took the phone and started dialing, while Tucker politely refused the tp. 

"Thank you, ma'ams. I'm Tucker and this is Lee. It's nice to meet you both."

Ashlee finished dialing and pressed the call button, but before the call could go through, a small, one-eyed, calico cat jumped on her shoulder from behind. Ashlee screamed and threw the phone, reaching over to take the cats claws out of her shoulder. The lady with the agro went over to help and put the cat back inside. 

"I'm sorry, he didn't mean to scare you." She apologized. 

"It's ok. Cats are troublemakers in their souls." Ashlee replied, causing the lady to smile. 

"Uh.. I don't think the phone made it…" Tucker said, looking over the railing. 

Everyone moved to see what he was looking at and found the phone on the stairs below them; the case had fallen off and the screen was covered in cracks. 

"oh no! I'm so sorry, miss pearl! I didn't mean to!" Ashlee cried. "I'll buy you a new one, promise!"

Pearl put a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her. "don't worry about it, Lee. It's just an object, I can get another if I need it."

"But what about your contacts and photos and important information!"

"Oh stars, I've lived thousands of years without that stuff, I'll be fine. Besides, the only contact I need, I can call on other devices."

"Uh… oh, okay."

They retrieved the phone and sat at the table on the porch. Ashlee tried to fix the phone without any replacement parts and the tall lady, who they now knew was Garnet, went to get a tablet from one of their friends. Tucker and pearl drank tea and chatted. He found out that they were in Beach City and she ran a school on a far off hill. 

"Ok, so… let me get this straight: this is the only Beach City in the world and you guys run a school for aliens called gems, right?" Tucker reiterated. 

"Yes." Pearl confirmed. 

"Ok. So that must mean… YOU’RE CRYSTAL GEMS!" He stood up and stared wide-eyed at the pale lady. Ashlee's head shot up and she gave the same terrified look as him.

"Wait, this is the gang Stevens from? No wonder he's so nice." Ashlee said, standing up. 

"Oh stars, you're the kids Steven told me about? No wonder your names sounded so familiar!" Pearl exclaimed, also standing. 

"HE TOLD YOU ABOUT US? IS HE CRAZY? WE DON'T WANNA JOIN YOUR GANG!" Tucker cried, stepping in front of Ashlee. 

"Oh don't be ridiculous. We're not a gang and if we were it's far too dangerous for humans like you."

"If you're not a gang then why is Steven not here? And why is he telling you about us? I knew he was too nice."

"I don't know where this gang idea came from but we're just his family." Pearl sat back down. "We love Steven very much and we've tried very hard to raise him right and to protect him as much as we can; but he was still wrongfully taken from us. There's no reason he should've been removed from his home. Still, it's been nice hearing about his new friends. It seems like he's really happy with you guys. So, we’re not trying to recruit you or anything, we just want to help and know that while we work to bring Steven home, he has friends that care about him as much as we do."

Tucker stayed on the defense, not trusting the gem's 'act'. But Ashlee believed the poor mother's words and sat back down. 

"I'm sorry ma'am. It must be so hard losing your son for no reason. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to spend the day here. I want to know everything that you guys do and to meet the people Steven is usually around." She said calmly. "I'd like to help."

"I'd be happy to show you around, it's the least I can do for how happy you've made Steven." Pearl smiled kindly. But Tucker stiffened. 

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Lee? What if-" He was interrupted by Lee's hand over his mouth. 

"Well, we should at least know where our friend is from, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Don't you want to know if there really was a mistake? There's a chance Steven could go home. Don't you want that for him?"

"Yeah but could we at least call home first?"

"Go ahead. Pearl, where should we start our tour?"

"Right this way." She smiled and opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my editor, BatBaby97!
> 
> I accidentally forgot to post this before lol


	6. Lion Vacation 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl takes the kids on a tour

Ashlee followed Pearl into the house and Tucker, not wanting to be left behind, slowly went after them, looking around the house like something might pop out at any minute. They went to the back where the platform and cool door are.

“This is the temple. We built the house around it when Steven was born so he could live with us. The door here interacts with our gems. We’ll start in the temple.” Pearl explained. She turned toward the door and held her hands up, next to the spot on her forehead. The door split into the same pattern from before and opened, revealing a large stone room with three waterfalls in the middle.

“So, that spot on your forehead is a gem?” Lee asked. “How’d it get there? Is it like bedazzling or surgery?”

Inside the room, Pearl walked up to one of the waterfalls and floated on the water to the top. “This gem is me and I am it. My body is just light, everything else I need or am is all stored in this gem.” She tapped the gem on your forehead.

Ashlee dragged Tucker up the waterfall, the same way Pearl had done it except Tucker wouldn’t stop moving and nearly made them fall. Pearl reached down as far as she could and grabbed the wriggling boy, pulling him up to sit next to her. “For a fake body, it sure is strong.”

“Well of course I gave myself some muscle.I am a knight you know.” She moved the teens to the middle of the circular pool and summoned swords all around them.

“You can just say you wanted a giant knife for gang wars.” Tucker shielded Ashlee from Peal, preparing for an attack that would never come.

“Giant knife? These are swords and no we’re still not a gang. Thousands of years ago, Rose Quartz, who is Steven’s mother, and I rebelled against our homeworld. The war lasted centuries. We finally ended it and brought peace to the galaxy two years ago. I was a real knight, not some street thug.” She made a grossed out face.

“But that’s impossible. No one could live for thousands of years and still have a baby.”

“What part of 'I’m not human' do you not understand?”

“So you’re soldiers made from minerals that have been fighting against your corrupt planet for centuries without any humans knowing until two years ago when you won and made your existence known which lead to a mislabel that got your nephew taken away from his home?” Ashlee rambled behind Tucker.

“That’s… That’s exactly it. The only people that knew about us were the residents of Beach City.”

“ Got it, let’s move on.” 

Pearl led them through one of the pools, down into another large room. This one is red with a big tube in the middle. Around the tube are floating bubbles and a small moat.

“Welcome to the basement. This is where we keep the corrupted gems until we can heal them. Then we send them off to Little Homeworld to learn about Earth and the new era on Homeworld. As you can see, it’s nearly empty.” She pointed up at the bubbles. “The only gems left now are the ones we caught after Steven left. He’s very important in the process of healing corruption.”

“I have several questions. All of them being WTF.” Tucker said in confusion.

“Language.”

“I didn’t say it…”

Pearl explained the history of corruption and Steven’s part in curing it.

As they left the basement, Tucker whispered to Ashlee, “These people are just crazy, right? There’s no way any of this is real.”

“It's more likely that we’re in an alternate dimension but that would still make it all real.” She whispered back.

“But not in our dimension.”

“If that is the case then i don't know. It's very possible it's true in both dimensions. But it is also just as likely that it is not.”

Pearl stepped onto the platform in the middle of the room and turned to them, “This is a warp pad, it can take you anywhere in the galaxy as long as there’s another working warp pad. It’s also the fastest way to Little Homeworld.” She explained.

Ashlee stepped on the platform, examining it. Tucker refused.

“It’s perfectly safe.” Pearl encouraged.

Tucker eyed her suspiciously, “I don’t know, lady. Last time I let someone take me somewhere without knowing where we were going I ended up on a beach in some weird alternate dimension.”

Ashlee laughed so hard she fell over, then she stuttered out, “ A-are you talking about th-the lion!? HAHAHAHA! You didn-didn’t let him do anything! He ju-u-ussst decided toooooooo!!!!! HAHAHAHA!”

Tucker glared at her but insisted it would be better to walk and drive so they know where they are. “Lee, I can’t believe you’re not even a little concerned that this thug wouldn’t take you to another planet and kill you!”

“Ok, ok, you win. Pearl, is there another way to Little Homeworld?” 

“Of course. I’ll show the town on the way.” Pearl agreed.

The trio left the house and went around a large mountain. On the other side was a large boardwalk and another beach with a dock and large boats. Pearl led them up the beach to a small building with a giant donut on top called “The Big Donut”. She told them this is where Steven would go for breakfast and see his friends who no longer work there. Inside the shop was a sad middle aged man behind a counter filled with fresh donuts. There were two freezers on one wall and on the other wall was another counter with a coffee machine. 

“Welcome to Big Donut, can i interest you in our new Dewey Supreme Donut?” The man asked as they walked in.

Tucker observed the donuts in the display counter and asked, “Which one is that?”

The man pointed to the biggest donut in the case and Tucker immediately bought it.

“Thank you good sir. This donut looks delicious.” He said when he was handed the bag.

“Thank you, I made it myself. These are the best donuts in town.” the man replied.

Tucker took a bite. “Oh wow this is actually the best donut i’ve ever had. What’s a Dewey, though?”

“I am a Dewey. Used to be Mayor Dewey, the best mayor Beach City ever had in fact.”

“Really? That’s cool. Now you’re the best donut maker in the world. Keep up the good work.” Tucker and the girls left the store while Dewey started to cry.

As the door was closing they heard Dewey say, “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” 

They stopped by an arcade, where Pearl showed them “Meat Beat Mania” and explained that Garnet once got stuck playing it for two whole days before Steven destroyed it. Then they went to a restaurant called “Fish Stew Pizza”. A pizza place that the current mayor used to work at and where the gems were banned once for crashing the roof. 

“Of course we didn’t mind since we don’t need to eat, but Steven was heartbroken. He put together this whole party for all of us and now we’re actually friends! Right, pizza man?” Pearl said, looking over at a man tossing pizza dough.

“I can ban you at any time!” He called.

Pearl laughed and they continued their tour to a fry stand next door. They were greeted by a teenage boy with fry shaped hair. “Hello, what can I do for you guys, today?”

“Hello, Petey. Could we get the bits, please?” Pearl asked.

Petey nodded and started their order while Pearl explained that the bits are Steven’s favorite. As soon as she said Steven’s name, an ugly, round man came running up to the counter and pushed Petey aside. 

“Hey, alien lady! Are these more of your alien friends or something?” He yelled.

Pearl cringed and ignored him. He kept yelling questions at them while Petey tried to push him away. The man working the fryer in the back, turned and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Ashlee. 

“Hey, weird fry boy! Where’s all your stupid fry friends? Do you even have any, you loser! Why don’t you take a hint and go away!” 

The ugly man’s ugly mouth fell open as the boy next to him giggled. The man in the back squeezed past the two boys and placed 3 orders of fry bits on the counter. “I’m sorry about my son, he doesn’t know when to stop. These bits are on the house so don’t worry about paying. Have a wonderful day.”

“Thank you, sir, you too.” Ashlee said as they grabbed their food and walked off.

They passed a large amusement park called “Fun Land” and stopped at a car wash. In front of the building was a balding man, tuning a guitar in the back of a van. As they walked up, he greeted them. 

“Hey, Pearl. Hey, Tucker. Long time no see. Who’s this? I’m Greg.” He held out a hand to Ashlee.

“Nice to meet you, Greg. I’m Lee.” She took his hand and they shaked. 

“Hey, Mr. Greg. We’re learning about Steven. You got any stories?” Tucker asked.

Greg, in fact, had a lot of stories and he insisted on telling them all through song. Pearl jumped in often, as the two put on a show about their favorite person. The teenagers loved every minute of it and completely forgot about Little Homeworld. 

By the end of the last story, it was getting late so they decided to just go home. On their back to the beach house, they were stopped by Petey. “Hey guys. Sorry again about my brother. I heard you guys talking about Steven earlier, do you know him?”

“Yeah, why? You’re not gonna start yelling questions at us, are you?” Tucker replied.

“No. I just want to know if he’s coming back. Haven’t seen him in a long time.” 

“He’ll be back, we don’t know when though. Were you two friends?” Ashlee inquired.

“Sorta. I’ve known him my whole life but we don’t really hang out anymore. Since, I've got work an’ all.” Petey looked at his feet.

“You should visit, some time. I’m sure he’d be glad to see you.” Tucker offered.

“I don’t know. We haven’t really talked in a long time. He doesn’t wanna see me.”

“Well, i haven’t known him very long, but he talks about you a lot. Well, he talks a lot in general. But he does talk about you. He says you’re one of his favorite people to visit. He’d definitely love to see you.”

Petey smiled and agreed to talk to his dad about visiting some time. Pearl led Lee and Tucker back to the beach house and made them some tea.

“So, what did you think of the tour? You can come back anytime to see Little Homeworld.” Pearl offered happily.

Ashlee sipped her tea, deep in thought. While Tucker studied his cup and sniffed the tea. Ashlee looked over at him; “What in the world are you doing?” she asked.

“Checking for poison.” He replied, setting his cup down and nodding. “It’s safe.”

“Unless it’s scentless poison.” She reminded him. His face paled as he stared wide eyed at her cup.

“A… Are you okay? Should I call a hospital?” 

“I’m not poisoned.” Lee laughed. “And to answer your question, Pearl, this town is very nice and I enjoyed hearing from his friends and family but this house is very strange. How safe is it to have that warp pad? Can’t people just appear in your house whenever they want with that?”

Just then, a small green girl with pointy hair appeared with Garnet on the warp pad. She had her arms crossed and was pouting. 

“Hello, I finally got Peridot to let us use her tablet.” Garnet greeted. 

The green girl turned to her angrily, “I didn’t let you! You didn’t give me a choice!” She yelled.

Garnet handed her the tablet; “I thought you would want to talk to Steven. I’m sorry I was wrong.”

“Can we really call Steven on there? His lion hasn’t come back and Pearl’s phone is still broken. It’s kind of our only hope of getting home.” Ashlee explained to Peridot. 

Peridot studied the teenagers before her and slowly set her tablet on the table. “OK. You can call Steven on this but I get to say hi.”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my editor: BatBaby97!
> 
> Next chapter: Lion Vacation 4: Ruby's adventure! (and maybe a new nickname for this mysterious Ruby?)


End file.
